| Parts of the Sails |
|---|
| Batten | A strip of stiff material (usually fiberglass) inserted into a sail pocket to
shape its leech |
| Clew | The aft bottom corner. Sheets attach to the clew of a jib
or spinnaker, the outhaul attaches to the clew of the main |
| Foot | The bottom edge |
| Head | The top corner of the sail to which the halyard attaches |
| Leech | The aft edge |
| Luff | The front edge |
| Tack | The forward bottom corner of the sail |
| Parts of the Boat |
|---|
| Block | The nautical term for a pulley |
| Boom | A horizontal pole that attaches to the mast and is used to extend the foot of the mainsail |
| Bow | The forward part of a boat |
| Centerboard | A pivoting plate used to balance a boat and lessen leeway |
| Cleat | A fastening around or in which lines can be secured |
| Hull | The primary structural body of a vessel, not including superstructure, masts or rigging |
| Keel | A boat's fixed underwater part used to prevent sideways drift and provide stability |
| Line | Any piece of rope on a boat |
| Mast | A pole placed vertically on a boat used to support sails |
| Painter | A line attached to a small boat's bow used to tie it to a dock or another boat and to support sails |
| Rudder | A boat's movable underwater steering board |
| Shackle | A metal fitting connonly used to connect sails and halyards |
| Shrouds and stays | Wires that hold the mast upright (the front one is the forestay) |
| Spreader | Struts attached to the mast to increase the holding power of the shrouds |
| Stern | A boat's afterpart |
| Tiller | A wooden or metal "stick" used to turn the rudder |
| Wheel | A steering apparatus |
| Winch | A metal drum-shaped object around which lines are wrapped to make trimming them easier |
| Transom | A boat's afterpart that is square to its centerline |
